As the year draws to a close, many are families are busy with holiday plans, travel, and the stresses of year end work and school tasks. Not to add one more thing to your list of things to do before 2018, but if you haven’t used your annual dental insurance benefits, you may be about to lose them. Make the most of the money you’ve invested in dental insurance by reading on to find out more about benefit plans, insurance networks, and how taking advantage of dental insurance benefits as the year draws to a close is so important.

Why Using Dental Insurance Before the End of the Year Matters

Most dental insurance plans “reset” at the end of the year. Before your plan resets, it’s essential to make sure you’ve used up all the benefits you invested in throughout the year. Each month you pay a specified amount into a dental insurance plan that uses this money to cover a percentage of necessary dental care. In most cases, preventive dental care is fully covered by benefit plans, so if you don’t visit the dentist twice a year for preventive appointments, you’re wasting the money invested in your dental coverage. Another reason using your benefits is important, is that plans typically change their pricing and coverage percentages at the end of the year, so the treatment you’ve been putting off may not have the same coverage in the coming plan year.

How You Can Utilize Remaining Plan Year Benefits

Some options for using up your remaining plan benefits include:

Schedule a 2nd dental checkup – if you haven’t visited the dentist for at least two exams and professional cleanings, this is essential. Most insurance plans cover these appointments completely or at a very high percentage.

Split big treatments between years – this will help you make the most of plan maximums. If completing an advanced service will exceed the maximum amount the insurance company will provide, breaking it down into smaller treatments over the course of two plan years may be possible.

Use your FSA or HSA funds – if you have left over funds in a flexible spending or health savings account, consider investing that money in a cosmetic dental treatment or other service to pamper yourself. That way you don’t lose those funds at the end of the year.

Meet Dr. Grinaldi

Dallas dentist, John A. Grinaldi, DDS, FAGD, offers a wide range of dental services to keep his patients smiling. He and his knowledgeable team have years of experience helping patients process and file dental insurance claims to ensure they receive the maximum possible coverage. We are happy to process and file your claim for the majority of insurance providers, and we use the state-of-the-art Dental Systems software to make sure we don’t miss any benefits and can always offer accurate estimates. Contact our team to find out more or schedule your appointment in our Dallas dental office today.